Circular Pedagogy to Advance the Integration of Learning Technologies: Supporting Technological Universities Cultural Transformation

European countries need active and proactive educational systems assisted by models that can drive a cultural transformation that supports sustainable socio-economic and environmental development. In this paper, we reflect on the future of European education. We offer some insights on how the foundations of a new educational model (ANEM) could be cemented and solidly supported by pillars that acknowledge our societies\u27 rich and diverse cultures. Furthermore, the European University of Technology\u27s (EUt+) future educational model is taken as a case study to enable us to reflect and analyse the need for novel pedagogies that drive change for a more sustainable socio-economic and environmentally friendly European society. European education faces significant challenges from the need to enable learning environments guided by equity, diversity, and inclusive frameworks for all categories. To make progress, it is essential that we first learn how new inclusive learning environments can be articulated to help us address our contemporary society\u27s learning needs and demands. We are conscious that education worldwide faces a stark and unpleasant reality as the students/learners\u27 learning experience is significantly impacted by social status and economic disparities. Students are often confronted with difficult situations involving racism, discrimination and exclusion that materialise in students suffering mistreatment and microaggressions in learning environments still blind to the biases forwarded through teaching practices. The richness of our European cultures and languages and their significance in helping us to work together are paramount in our quest for high-quality education that cultivates, promotes, and cherishes European educational values while welcoming other cultures and languages. Within the complexities of our global societies, we argue that the future of our educational system must enable and foster mechanisms that nurture behaviours that will help us address cultural conflict, clashes, and potential detachment. Cultural clashes emerge as a major challenge for the development of our future European University, and we need to be able to minimise potential problems associated with multicultural, plurilingual and diverse working and learning environments. We are conscious of the need to develop appropriate educational programmes and curricula guided by our novel Circular Pedagogy , where we provide an initial and evolving framework for students, teachers, and researchers to interchange their roles. We propose a learner-centred, dynamic, and proactive pedagogy that helps us to manage and navigate the inevitable cultural conflict and supports us in understanding and identifying the triggers that might arise due to cultural clashes and increasing levels of detachment

Ownership competence

Ownership is fundamental to firm strategy, organization, and governance. Standard ownership concepts—mainly derived from agency and incomplete contracting theories—focus on its incentive effects. However, these concepts and theories neglect ownership's role as an instrument to match judgment about resource use and governance with the firm's evolving environment under uncertainty. We develop the concept of ownership competence—the skill with which ownership is used as an instrument to create value—and decompose it into matching competence (what to own), governance competence (how to own), and timing competence (when to own). We describe how property rights of use, appropriation, and transfer relate to the three ownership competences and show how our theory offers a fresh perspective into the role of ownership for value generation

Self-Regulatory Effects of Performance Management System Consistency on Employee Engagement: A Moderated Mediation Model

The study investigates the influence of performance management system consistency on employee work engagement. Drawing on the ‘job demands-resources model’ and ‘regulatory focus theory’, it was hypothesized that when employees perceive their performance management system to be consistent, they develop positive outcome expectations, which primes their achievement-oriented motivation (promotion regulatory focus) and increases their engagement. Responses were collected from 779 employees belonging to three large, multi-national organizations in India. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM package ADANCO and Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Support was found for a moderated-mediation model. Specifically, promotion focus was found to mediate the relationship between performance management system consistency and work engagement, while positive affect moderated the relationship between performance management system consistency and promotion focus. The study advances scholarly understanding of the psychological impact of performance management systems on employees by clarifying the cognitive-affective processes underlying this relationship. The study also adds to the literature on work engagement by establishing consistency as a key attribute for performance management systems to act as a ‘job resource’ for employees and enhance their engagement. The study makes a strong case for organizations to look at performance management as an integrated system and move away from an insular focus on performance-related practices such as appraisals

The use of ICT to support urban heritage appraisal : the case of medieval Tripoli, Lebanon

Conservation officers are faced with many problems when dealing with applications for intervention in urban heritage areas. The process involves reviewing different categories of heritage resources and legislation; understanding and relating together different heritage values; applying different kinds and levels of analysis; contacting the various stakeholders and accessing diverse digital and paper based documents. Such processes are largely tedious, time consuming and are generally inefficient (Morton, 1996a; Angelides, 2000). Despite the intention of many heritage organizations to identify models that can be used for managing decision-making in urban heritage areas, as yet no information model exists that is capable of properly and dynamically appraising such areas. The lack of such a model has exacerbated the difficulties and conflict in the selection and assessment of alternative intervention strategies in urban heritage areas. The diverse range of heritage categories, values, stakeholders and types of data related to the conservation of urban heritage resources provide a challenge in developing an adequate information model for informing the management of intervention. ICT based on a combination of Geographical information system (GIS), surveying, visualization and database packages can help in urban heritage appraisal process. However, efforts to apply the recently developed ICT to urban heritage recording and appraising have not yet fully come to fruition (Ford et al, 1999). Generally, efforts have only been concentrated on the use of ICT as a records database, (Sahib, 1993) rather than making more use of their analytical capabilities. This study develops a theoretical framework to help the full understanding of the categories of urban heritage resources, values and the identification of the constraints for using ICT in the urban heritage appraisal process. The aim is to develop a decision support system for intervention in Lebanese urban conservation areas. The effects of war, negligence and conservation plans have been the main factors causing destruction of the urban heritage in Lebanon. Appraisal is a necessary step to define the major components which contribute to the character of urban heritage. It is a first step towards the future development of heritage policies with regard to heritage management, conservation and enhancement (English Heritage, 1997a-b). This study creates, according to a developed theoretical framework, a prototype model for the appraisal of urban heritage areas. The study takes the medieval centre of the city of Tripoli as a case study. This centre is the unique sole depository of Mamluk art and architectural treasures in Lebanon.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Effect of Business Process Reengineering Factors on Organizational Performance: IT Capability as a Moderator

The main objective of this study is to examine the effects of the business process reengineering (BPR) factors on the Nigerian banks organisational performance. Additionally, this study also investigates the moderating effect of information technology (IT) capability in the relationship of BPR factors and the organisational performance. BPR factors are operationalised by change management, BPR strategy alignment, customer focus, management commitment, IT investment, and adequate financial resource. The IT capability dimensions include IT knowledge, IT operations and IT objects. Data was sent and collected through a hand-delivery method. A proportionate stratified random sampling was used for sample selection. 560 questionnaires were sent to banks’ managers but 417 of them were returned; giving a response rate of 74%. The findings were as follows: first, the findings show that fully supported relationships were found between IT capability and organisation performance. Second, the results showed that BPR factors such as adequate financial resources and management commitment were significantly related to overall organisational performance. Specifically, adequate financial resource's dimension was significantly related to cost reduction, customer service management and operations efficiency. Next, management commitment was found to be significantly related to customer service management and operation efficiency. Meanwhile, IT investment was significantly associated with customer service management. Other dimensions of BPR factors such as change management, customer focus, and BPR strategy alignment were found insignificant to the banks’ performance. Third, upon investigating the moderating effects of IT capability on the relationship between BPR factors and organisational performance, the results revealed mixed supports for the interaction effects of IT capability attributes. The outcome of this study provides important insights to both managers and researchers for further understanding on the effects of BPR factors and IT capability on organisational performance. The necessary suggestions on new area of research were recommended for future researchers

Relationship governance : structure and performance in industrial markets

The scope of research on interorganisational relationship structure has been limited by rigid adherence to specific governance paradigms and by lack of research into relational performance. The conceptual framework developed in this thesis responds to these issues by pursuing a multiparadigm, approach from which it develops a taxonomy of relationship structures that is linked to performance. The classification of a relationship into the taxonomy is based on the relationship strength construct. This construct discriminates between relational governance structures by measuring both behaviour process and economic content elements of a relationship. The result is a taxonomy of four relationship structures. They are bilateral, recurrent, dominant partner and discrete. Furthermore, the research links these relationship structures to a multifaceted definition of relational performance, which includes both behaviour and economic outcomes, to enable it to test which structure optimises performance. It proposes that bilateral relationships, developed from social exchange theory, are the optimal governance structures for managing interfirm. exchanges. Bilateral relationships have the highest level of relationship strength of all the structures. These structures involve partners who have high levels of trust in each other and who have made substantial commitment to the relationship. If these relationships are found to be the optimal structures in terms of performance, considerable support will have been found for social exchange theory. The research hypotheses are supported by empirical work which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The qualitative study uses in-depth interviews with buyer and supplier organisations. The quantitative study consists of a mail survey of 500 UK industrial buyers who are interviewed about their main supply relationship. The industries included in the research are engineering, electronics and communications. The development of a taxonomy of relationship structures and its links to performance provides guidance to researchers and managers on how to assess and develop the potential of a relationship. The assumptions managers make about relationships have an impact on what is attainable from the relationship. The research also provides strong support for social exchange positions in managing interfirm relationships.The scope of research on interorganisational relationship structure has been limited by rigid adherence to specific governance paradigms and by lack of research into relational performance. The conceptual framework developed in this thesis responds to these issues by pursuing a multiparadigm, approach from which it develops a taxonomy of relationship structures that is linked to performance. The classification of a relationship into the taxonomy is based on the relationship strength construct. This construct discriminates between relational governance structures by measuring both behaviour process and economic content elements of a relationship. The result is a taxonomy of four relationship structures. They are bilateral, recurrent, dominant partner and discrete. Furthermore, the research links these relationship structures to a multifaceted definition of relational performance, which includes both behaviour and economic outcomes, to enable it to test which structure optimises performance. It proposes that bilateral relationships, developed from social exchange theory, are the optimal governance structures for managing interfirm. exchanges. Bilateral relationships have the highest level of relationship strength of all the structures. These structures involve partners who have high levels of trust in each other and who have made substantial commitment to the relationship. If these relationships are found to be the optimal structures in terms of performance, considerable support will have been found for social exchange theory. The research hypotheses are supported by empirical work which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The qualitative study uses in-depth interviews with buyer and supplier organisations. The quantitative study consists of a mail survey of 500 UK industrial buyers who are interviewed about their main supply relationship. The industries included in the research are engineering, electronics and communications. The development of a taxonomy of relationship structures and its links to performance provides guidance to researchers and managers on how to assess and develop the potential of a relationship. The assumptions managers make about relationships have an impact on what is attainable from the relationship. The research also provides strong support for social exchange positions in managing interfirm relationships

\u27Just Through Talking\u27: A Collaborative Learning Approach for Human Resource Change Agents

My purpose in conducting this research project was to engage in collaborative action research with a group of human resource professionals in order to investigate the role of a human resource professional as an organizational change agent, and how participating in a collaborative learning group focused on change might inform our practice. We used dialogue during our collaborative learning group meetings to share professional experiences, better understand our own assumptions and the assumptions of others in our group, and for sensemaking about our profession. The data analysis focused in two areas: 1) describing what the experience as an organizational change agent was like for the participants, and 2) describing how the experience of participating in a collaborative learning group informed our practice. Additionally, a model presenting a collaborative learning approach for human resource change agents is provided. We concluded that changes in our practice did occur as a result of personal insights and growth experienced in action research and collaborative learning. Five themes related to our experience as organizational change agents reflect the ways in which we were able to better understand our practice. The themes were: change is personal – “one conversation at a time”; struggles and frustrations – “puts you in the weeds”; approach – “soft or back-door”; trust – “open and honest conversation”; and results – “where the rubber meets the road.” Through participation in the collaborative learning group, we not only had a better understanding of ourselves and others in the group, but were also able to identify and reflect on our theories-in-action, making explicit what was implicit. These five themes: “there is a process”; “suspending judgment”; “getting hold of our own change”; “just through talking”; and “safe and understanding environment” were related to the group members’ attempt to “make sense” or better understand ourselves, others, and our work environment

Competence development through the lens of structuration - Does age matter in Finnish IT workplaces?

This thesis is about existing employees’ competence development, with a particular focus on middle-aged and late-career employees in the Finnish information technology field. Research on adult education, workforce development and workplace learning has traditionally relied on economic, psychosocial and learning theories. The lower participation rate of older workers in skills training is explained in terms of lowered abilities and willingness to learn, or through employers’ cost- driven strategies, which prioritise younger employees. While earlier studies tend to focus on either the employee or the learning environment, this thesis emphasises the relationships between an employee’s agency and the enablers and constraints apparent in the work environment. The aim is to understand differences in employees’ participation in competence development activities within the workplace and the significance of various factors involved. A pragmatic ontology is applied and a methodology of mixed methods, integrating data collection and analysis of a structured survey across industries (N=1,119) and face-to-face interviews (N=27). Theoretically, a novel approach is developed by building on key concepts of structuration theory (Giddens, 1979, 1984). The core argument in this thesis is that the frequency of competence development activities is an outcome of the pre-existing interaction between the employee and the learning environment. The thesis contributes to theory by providing an empirically grounded and theoretically informed conceptualisation of employees’ competence development, firstly, in the form of an analytical framework, and secondly, in the novel categorisation of agentic orientations. The thesis proposes that employees engage in competence development activities at different levels as a result of their agentic orientation, which may be proactive, reactive or restricted. Following these orientations, employees perceive factors in the learning environment as either enabling, supportive or constraining, leading to the agentic actions to initiate, accept or reject opportunities for competence development. Empirically, the study demonstrates that late-career employees are as active in their competence development activities as middle-aged employees are but face specific challenges of indirect age discrimination related to on-the-job learning. The holistic framework and the categorisation of proactive, reactive and restricted employees supports policymakers and practitioners to adjust their adult education and training offerings by observing individual agentic orientation rather than chronological age. In addition, these serve to avoid age and gender biases related to on-the-job learning